Generally, a zipper is installed in a bag or clothing to open and close an inlet and is widely used due to its easy way to open and close.
The structure of a conventional zipper can be simply defined as follows. Teeth are disposed at regular interval at the opposing sides of a pair of fabric tapes, respectively, and a slider with a structure in which the front and rear sides communicate with each other is coupled to one of the tapes.
When the slider is moved forward, the teeth at both sides enter through the front side of the slider to be engaged with each other in the slider and then exit through the rear side. On the contrary, when the slider is moved backward, the teeth being engaged with each other enter through the rear side of the slider to be disengaged from each other in the slider and then exit through the front side, respectively.
However, this conventional zipper has a problem in that the fastening operation is inconvenient. That is in order to fasten the zipper, a bottom stop insertion pin at an end of the tape, to which the slider is not coupled, should be inserted through the slider into a bottom stop box, and when a user wears gloves, for example, it is difficult for the user to insert the insertion pin into the bottom stop box.
A new concept of a slider assembly for solving the above problem is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No 2012-0014943 by the present applicant. This slider assembly has an advantage in that both tapes can be quickly engaged with each other by pressing a bottom stop and a locking unit in an up and down manner, which provides reliable and easy engagement and disengagement of the teeth.
However, this slider assembly requires a slider of a new structure which has a cylindrical shape with an opened bottom and in which both edges to be coupled to teeth are bent inward. Moreover, it requires teeth each having a new structure for accommodating the slider, i.e., teeth each having a specific structure in which an attachment part has a “C” shaped space, in which the edge of the slider is accommodated, and a coupling protrusion for fixing the tape is formed at the bottom of the attachment part.
Therefore, the existing slider and teeth cannot be used, and thus it is necessary to build new equipment for manufacturing the slider and teeth, which increases the initial investment in equipment.
Moreover, these teeth have such problems that the process of coupling to the tape is complicated and restrictive, which increases the overall production costs, and the standardization and optimization of each component requires a lot of time and effort.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, an object of the present invention is to provide a slider assembly of a new structure which can quickly and easily engage and disengage teeth with a simple operation. Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a slider assembly which requires low initial investment in equipment, leads to low production costs, and is advantageous for standardization and optimization of components.
To accomplish the above objects, a slider assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a slider which comprises upper and lower plates which are provided with teeth guides and a pillar which connects the upper plate and the lower plate, the slider moving forward along teeth arranged at regular intervals on sides of first and second tapes, respectively, to engage the teeth with each other and moving backward to disengage the teeth from each other; a locking unit which is disposed at the first tape and limits the backward movement of the slider; and a bottom unit which is disposed at the second tape, elastically coupled to the locking unit by a force that presses the bottom unit and the locking unit in an up and down manner (in the thickness direction of the tape), and separated from the locking unit by a force that moves the slider backward.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, one of the locking unit and the bottom unit may comprise a coupling protrusion which is formed to protrude from an opposing surface and the other comprises a protrusion receiving portion to which the coupling protrusion is elastically inserted and coupled by a force that presses the bottom unit and the locking unit in an up and down manner.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the coupling protrusion and the protrusion receiving portion may comprise an elastic body, the elastic body being elastically deformed by the insertion of the coupling protrusion and confining the coupling protrusion in the protrusion receiving portion by its elastic restoration force such that the coupling protrusion is prevented from being upwardly or downwardly separated from the protrusion receiving portion.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic body may be elastically deformed by the pressure of the backward moving slider to release the confinement of the coupling protrusion such that the coupling protrusion is upwardly or downwardly separated from the protrusion receiving portion.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion receiving portion may comprise: a through hole into which the coupling protrusion is inserted; an elastic body; and a shutter which is coupled to the elastic body, moves in a direction that opens the through hole during the elastic deformation of the elastic body such that the coupling protrusion can be inserted into and separated from the through hole, and moves in a direction that at least partially closes the through hole during the elastic restoration of the elastic body such that the coupling protrusion is confined in the through hole.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion receiving portion may comprise an elastic body, the elastic body comprising an elastic coupling hole which is elastically deformed by the pressure of the coupling protrusion that is inserted therein and confines the coupling protrusion therein by its elastic restoration force such that the coupling protrusion is prevented from being upwardly or downwardly separated from the protrusion receiving portion.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic coupling hole may have an oval shape and may be configured such that the length of a minor axis increases during the elastic deformation such that the coupling protrusion can be inserted into and separated from the elastic coupling hole and the length of the minor axis decreases during the elastic restoration such that the inserted coupling protrusion is confined therein.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic coupling hole may have a polygonal shape whose width in one direction is short and whose width in the other direction is elongated such that the width in one direction increases during the elastic deformation such that the coupling protrusion can be inserted into and separated from the elastic coupling hole and the width in the other direction decreases during the elastic restoration such that the inserted coupling protrusion is confined therein.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion receiving portion may comprise a through hole which at least partially opens a surface opposite to the coupling protrusion such that the coupling protrusion can be inserted into the protrusion receiving portion, the through hole extending to a longitudinal end of the tape such that the coupling protrusion inserted and coupled to the protrusion receiving portion slides in the longitudinal direction of the tape by the pressure of the backward moving slider to exit to the outside through the end.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the contact surfaces between the bottom unit and the locking unit may have corresponding shapes.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the locking unit and the bottom unit may comprise a guide member which guides a position where the locking unit and the bottom unit are coupled to each other.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the coupling protrusion may comprise: a head which protrudes toward the protrusion receiving portion; and a support which supports the head and has a width smaller than that of the head, and a locking projection may be formed between the head and the support due to the difference in the width.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the head may have a hemispherical or conical shape, whose width gradually decreases toward the protrusion receiving portion.
To accomplish the above objects, a zipper in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises: first and second tapes which are provided with teeth arranged at regular intervals on their sides; a slider which moves forward along the teeth of the first and second tapes to engage the teeth with each other and move backward to disengage the teeth from each other; a locking unit which is disposed at a longitudinal end of the first tape and limits the backward movement of the slider; and a bottom unit which is disposed at a longitudinal end of the second tape and coupled to the locking unit, and the locking unit and the bottom unit may be elastically coupled to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the movement plane of the slider and separated from each other by the pressure of the backward moving slider.
According to the slider assembly of the present invention, it is possible to quickly and easily engage both tapes with a simple operation that presses the bottom unit and the locking unit in an up and down manner.
Moreover, it is possible to quickly and easily disengage both tapes with a simple operation that lowers the slider.
Furthermore, with the use of a slider and teeth having the same shapes as the existing slider and teeth, it is possible to minimize the initial investment in equipment, reduce the production costs, and facilitate the standardization and optimization of each component.